PS3 issues - is this true

[maximum]

i just heard that the ps3 has the following problems:

- can't listen your own music while playing games
- can't download and play at same time

is this true and can it be fixed with software updates?

cheers

[AzazelJ3k]

Yes of course it can be fixed ! And yes it is true.

The 360 couldnt download and play until it released a patch either.

[Yoshimax]

No voice chat cross-game or as standard is a much bigger problem especially if you've got used to the 360 setup.

[AzazelJ3k]

Indeed it is, I'm sure it'll get fixed, but it should never have had to be fixed.

[maximum]

Yes of course it can be fixed ! And yes it is true.

The 360 couldnt download and play until it released a patch either.

are you sure the listening to music issue can and will be fixed? surely the ability to do this must be supported by the system architecture. the 360 hardware was developed with this feature in mind.

[MartyG]

It's supported by the system firmware - as this can be updated it can be "fixed" or more accurately, have the feature added to the system, if Sony want to.

[Brats]

It's supported by the system firmware - as this can be updated it can be "fixed" or more accurately, have the feature added to the system, if Sony want to.

That's not necessarily true for current games though. Every 360 game is programmed to lose specific parts of the soundtrack if custom soundtracks are selected. The games can even pause the custom soundtracks and override them if the developer feels the sound needs to be heard. In Lumines for instance, the backgound music disappears, but the action specific jingles (such as building a chain) remain.

Unless every PS3 games is patched when Sony eventually decide to include custom soundtracks, you'll either have both the custom and game soundtrack playing at the same time, or you'll have to permanently reduce all the music volume in every game (and not all games let you do this).

[MartyG]

I was going to add that into my post, but I didn't think I needed to be quite so academic.

[Brats]

Ooops, sorry. I re-read my post and didn't mean to sound so condescending. Apologies.

[MartyG]

No worries - whilst it might be an issue for games already released, Sony can certainly include this facility at a later date, and provide updated libraries to developers.

Perhaps the bigger question is why didn't they include the feature in the first place?

[Dogg Thang]

Why they didn't, well, I don't know. But the fact is, they didn't. Choosing not to implement a feature does not constitute an 'issue' or a 'problem' that needs a fix or a patch in my opinion.

I'm not sure games should have that feature anyway. It would be like bringing your own cds into a movie. Sort of defeats the purpose of working so hard to get a good sountrack really. Zelda to Ghostface Killah, for example, just wouldn't be the same.

[MartyG]

That'd be fine is so many soundtracks in games weren't quite so awful. Depends on the game of course, but so many racers I play hurt my ears, like NFS Most Wanted for example.

[Brats]

When custom soundtracks were first implemented, the main complaint then was that it would encourage developers not to bother with decent music for games.

Needless to say, there isn't any real evidence of that, it was just the usual scare mongering that goes around in reaction to change (see microtransaction ). I'd say game soundtracks are no better or worse than they have ever been, there are some right classics (Halo and Oblivion spring immediately to mind) and some outright dogs.

The fundamental issue with game soundtracks is not that they aren't any good necessarily, it's the amount of time the player is subject to them. Even though Oblivion's soundtrack was as good as it was, after nearly 100 hours of play it does start to get a little bit stale. I found that playing some Gotan Project worked suprisingly well through the latter stages of Oblivion.

[MartyG]

That's a good point Brats - the Oblivion soundtrack was only about 60 minutes long, I never really found it too intrusive even after 160 hours mind.

With the XBLA games, such as Bejewelled, Hexic, Texas Hold-em, I find myself putting on a custom soundtrack pretty much straight away.

It's about empowerment - you don't have to use a custom soundtrack, but it's nice to have the option there if a game's music doesn't suit your tastes.

[maximum]

I'm not sure games should have that feature anyway. It would be like bringing your own cds into a movie. Sort of defeats the purpose of working so hard to get a good sountrack really. Zelda to Ghostface Killah, for example, just wouldn't be the same.

well that's very democratic of you. i happen to use custom sountracks all the time on the 360 and i would really miss this feature if sony decided not to implement it.

games like ridge racer 6 gain replayability from having your own dance music pumping in the background. also, as someone stated above, a game like oblivion with hundreds of hours of gameplay grows very stale indeed without the option of having your own music in the background.

i often put on some classical music when playing oblivion...it compliments the game perfectly and gives me a break from the default music.